tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post5439633648682314308..comments2024-02-06T10:31:24.491-07:00Comments on Watching the World Wake Up: Suburban Apex Predator, and the F-117 Barn OwlWatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-18532544270125612642011-01-19T14:00:11.862-07:002011-01-19T14:00:11.862-07:00In addition to being badass predators, owls eviden...In addition to being badass predators, owls evidently like to <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20028920-504083.html" rel="nofollow">knock one back</a> as well. Who knew?Ski Bike Junkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12295969126174565599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-51732160400044324672011-01-13T13:52:59.240-07:002011-01-13T13:52:59.240-07:00Doug M.- Great, great added feather/flight detail-...Doug M.- Great, great added feather/flight detail- thanks!<br /><br />(Everybody: that's the Doug M., who as <a href="http://watchingtheworldwakeup.blogspot.com/2010/08/more-things-that-fly-around-ponds.html" rel="nofollow">I've noted previously</a>, is the Smartest Reader Of This Blog.)<br /><br />BTW- an update since this post. I had several more great spottings of the GHO from my hot tub at dusk, as he swooped across my back yard from tree to tree, but he seems to have moved on now. And no, I haven't seen a rabbit since. Know what else I haven't seen since? Any rats*. But that's another story, for another post.<br /><br />*The downside of living by Emigration Creek.Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-46477609607127089312011-01-12T17:47:09.463-07:002011-01-12T17:47:09.463-07:00Some other points of awesomness:
-- Owl feathers ...Some other points of awesomness:<br /><br />-- Owl feathers are soft, in order to make as little noise as possible during flight. I say "soft" but actually it's way more complicated than that. Some owls have actually moved the down feathers (which are normally under the outer feathers, next to the skin) out on top. Many owls also have "spoiler" feathers which introduce turbulence into the flow of air over the wing, slightly decreasing lift but dramatically reducing noise. (Sort of the evolutionary equivalent of a muffler on a car, or a silencer on a gun.)<br /><br />-- Owl wings are relatively short, broad, and thick. This makes them less efficient in flapping flight -- watch an owl flying over a distance and you can see how hard he works -- and also makes it difficult for owls to soar. <br /><br />But the owl gets two payoffs that make it all worthwhile. First, owls are incredibly maneuverable; they can weave between trees and branches and can make sudden last minute turns to snag prey that's trying to dodge away. And second, owls have an unusually wide range of glide angles. They can come down to ground level and glide along behind you, or they can drop straight down out of the sky like a stone. The owl's ability to come at prey on its own level seems to be used a lot, so it's probably adaptive!<br /><br />-- Owl pellets. Gotta talk about them. We found one a while back, and the boys utterly loved it. "And that's a jaw!" "Leg bone!" "Cool!"<br /><br /><br />Doug M.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-75704585732925205202011-01-11T15:01:33.038-07:002011-01-11T15:01:33.038-07:00KristenT- Your partner killed a skunk with a spear...KristenT- Your partner killed a skunk with a spear?? I am in awe.<br /><br />(Mildly horrified, but in awe.)Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-6344391925612651872011-01-10T15:27:14.280-07:002011-01-10T15:27:14.280-07:00Wow, you have the state of Wasatch, we have the st...Wow, you have the state of Wasatch, we have the state of Jefferson. Whenever one of them gets up the guts to actually secede, I think it will provide encouragement for the other one. <br /><br />We used to have a problem with skunks. I learned that skunks have 2 natural predators: Great Horned Owls (who have no sense of smell, apparently) and automobiles. To which I add a third predator, my partner Scott, who "took care of" a skunk in our yard with a homemade spear and large cardboard shield. It was epic, I was totally in denial what he was going to do until he actually stalked the skunk and killed it. Without getting skunk-ified either. Most impressive.<br /><br />We have at least 2 GHO's in our neighborhood-- most mornings in the spring through fall I can hear them calling to each other, one in the big tree at the corner of my property and the other on the far side of the ravine. I only hear them when it's dark, either night or just before dawn, and only rarely in winter.<br /><br />Great post!!KristenThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01187723351100391708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-88719293002442341862011-01-07T13:02:54.922-07:002011-01-07T13:02:54.922-07:00I wouldn't count on Costco to keep it cold, bu...I wouldn't count on Costco to keep it cold, but four out of five is fine.Ski Bike Junkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12295969126174565599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-54770673214113549292011-01-06T20:16:56.448-07:002011-01-06T20:16:56.448-07:00Christopher- Thanks for the Latin and phylogenetic...Christopher- Thanks for the Latin and phylogenetic updates, as well as awesome pointer- that page is a total avian phylogeny goldmine!<br /><br />mtb w- Oh yeah, they hoot alright. Supposedly the male's hoot is lower-pitched than the female's (although the female is bigger.) And sometimes a male and a female will hoot together. Hooting by males is supposed to be mainly a territorial thing.<br /><br />Enel- AWESOME photo! I love not only the proximity and approach, but the shot really captured the deep orange eyes of <i>B. bubo</i>, one of the classic guidebook differentiators from the (yellow-eyed) GHO.<br /><br />I actually almost mentioned the T. Devil in the side note about psi and bite-force. I gather the little fellow is off the charts...<br /><br />SBJ- For sure, and you'll be able to buy it at Smith's or Costco.Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-14186313281911570592011-01-06T12:42:34.519-07:002011-01-06T12:42:34.519-07:00Great, great post. I will be sorry to see this pro...Great, great post. I will be sorry to see this project end.<br /><br />Looking forward to the secession of the state of Wasatch. You'll be able to get quality beer, cold, full strength, for less than $10 a six pack, right?Ski Bike Junkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12295969126174565599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-64899633581083722542011-01-06T10:31:25.455-07:002011-01-06T10:31:25.455-07:00Very cool you have an owl in the neighborhood. I h...Very cool you have an owl in the neighborhood. I had no idea they were such fearsome hunters.<br /><br />I don't understand how the feathers around the eyes improves the owls' vision. Light comes into the lens and is focused onto the retina to create an image. It seems to me that light reflecting off the feathers then into the eye would not create a focused image, in fact it should add noise light that hinders vision. I find it more likely the feathers reflect light AWAY from the eye to reduce noise light. (I tried to find more on this subject, but had no luck. So I did do a little work before spouting off.)<br /><br />The State of Wasatch, eh? Now I understand why you've growing that incredibly handsome dictator beard, Dear Leader. (Dang right I'm sucking up - I'd rather be in the regime than dragged out my house in the middle of the night and imprisoned.)KanyonKrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954169751206336705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-92063913864168867922011-01-06T10:09:06.978-07:002011-01-06T10:09:06.978-07:00Okay, read it.
I got this great photo of a Eurasi...Okay, read it.<br /><br />I got <a href="http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/6623/img48939343060.jpg" rel="nofollow">this</a> great photo of a Eurasian Eagle Owl at the Flagstaff Arboretum's Raptor show (highly recommended if you are near there. An instant after this the dang thing wacked me on the head with its wing tip.<br /><br />I find it hard to believe they could take a full grown Red tail!<br /><br />With the list of things they eat are you sure this is not a <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3os78_merrie-melodies-bedevilled-rabbit-1_fun" rel="nofollow">Tasmanian devil</a>? Especially rabbits!<br /><br />For a badass owl in literature, see Old Brown in Squirrel Nutkin. The squirrels (most of them) treated him like a god for a reason.<br /><br />My kids just watched the new owl movie with the lengthy title (renter), and I would say the owls in that movie are also properly badass<br /><br />I see GH owls a lot on night rides and they routinely freak me out taking off from trailside just as I am passing by and riding through my lights.<br /><br />Thanks for the ID on the ground dwelling bird that just sits there and looks at me with sparkling eyes as I nearly ride over it.Enelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967981896718833776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-58098154889386938372011-01-06T08:27:45.504-07:002011-01-06T08:27:45.504-07:00Where I volunteered at a wildlife rehab center, th...Where I volunteered at a wildlife rehab center, they had an educational GH Owl. She was a very angry bird, especially during breeding season - 2 people, armed with helmets & goggles, were required to clean her pen. I got to carry her a few times and MAN those TALONS! Ouch!Marissa Buschowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902867977131616596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-24410827584708840092011-01-06T08:17:38.674-07:002011-01-06T08:17:38.674-07:00Pre-read of post comment because no time to read.....Pre-read of post comment because no time to read...yet.<br /><br />1. We have a great horned couple that routinely roosts on our roof and hoots at night.<br /><br />2. While out with the kids in the new fallen snow a day ago, I clearly saw two own kill sites with a sweeping wing mark in the snow followed by a hole where it pounced upon and swept up a mouse. You could even see the mouse tracks ending right at that point.<br /><br />I am very interested to read this post.<br /><br />EEnelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967981896718833776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-67853629685401050162011-01-06T08:02:01.925-07:002011-01-06T08:02:01.925-07:00Yep, GH Owls are bada**. I knew they were good hu...Yep, GH Owls are bada**. I knew they were good hunters but thought it was mainly mice/rabbits and other small relatively defenseless prey.<br /><br />Our neighborhood was also overrun with rabbits (apparently after some yahoos got rid of a couple of local coyotes that roamed the area). I would see 10-15 every morning, driving my dog bonkers. But in the past year, the population has fallen drastically - I'll start looking for the GH Owl! <br /><br />Do GH owls hoot? If so, when and for what purpose? <br /><br />BTW, I have always thought Colorado should be split into 4 states - eastern plains, front range, mountains and western slope. The people, economies, geography, culture, etc. are sooo different. The UT split would totally make sense too.<br /><br />mtb wAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-18439722547358913272011-01-06T07:53:34.589-07:002011-01-06T07:53:34.589-07:00Pinnae? Pinnum? I’m never really sure.
Pinnae. Ev...<i>Pinnae? Pinnum? I’m never really sure.</i><br /><br />Pinnae. Everyone should learn a little Latin - it makes a lot of weird English suddenly easier :-) .<br /><br /><i>Additional info came from Phylogeny and Classification of Birds: a Study in Molecular Evolution, Charles G. Sibley & Jon E. Ahlquist, The Origin and Evolution of Birds, Alan Feduccia,</i><br /><br />Both of which are seriously outdated as sources on bird phylogeny (if, indeed, Feduccia's book ever deserved to be taken seriously in the first place). Do not believe <i>anything</i> those books tell you. For something more recent, you could do worse than looking at some of the pdfs available <a href="http://www.senckenberg.de/root/index.php?page_id=532/" rel="nofollow">here</a>.<br /><br />It now seems unlikely that nightjars and owls are closely related. Unfortunately, nor is it clear yet exactly where owls go, though they're somewhere in the 'higher land birds' (to which the rest of the birds shown on your tree diagram possibly do not belong).Christopher Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11075565866351612441noreply@blogger.com